Out Of Control
by Addie W
Summary: Bella has graduated and she is now a vampire, but she has less control over her life than she was expecting. Far less. And someone's going to pay for that. Post Eclipse PREPARING FOR DELETION- read author's note for explanation
1. Preface

**Preface**

* * *

"Bella?" 

I heard his voice, and I wanted to go to him, to talk to him, to let him know how I felt. I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him and never leave his side again.

But I couldn't.

"Bella? Is that you?"

I nodded, and instantly Edward was kneeling in front of me.

"Oh, Bella," he moaned as he took my hands in his. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did I do something wrong? What's the matter? Why did you leave? Why did you ask me to come here?"

My mind raced, and I didn't answer as I thought.

"Bella?" Edward asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yes," I said.

"Yes what?" He asked. Hope filled his voice as he added, "Yes, you are okay?"

"Yes, you did something wrong," I corrected him. "No, I'm not hurt, and if you want to know what you did wrong, then you obviously didn't love me as much as I thought you did. But that doesn't matter. I don't love you. And I never will. So you can leave me alone and never talk to me again."

I stood from the bench I was sitting on, tore my hands from his grip, and started to walk away, leaving him stunned and motionless behind me. My heart was breaking as I left him there, but I had no choice.

Someone would pay for this. But exactly how I didn't know.


	2. Death and Thirst

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I don't own New Moon. I don't own Eclipse. I wish that I owned Edward, but, uh, no luck there either. I'm not Stephenie Meyer. And I'm not writing the disclaimer again, so this is going to serve as the disclaimer for the whole story. Anyway, I don't own the Twilight series. Now that we've established that, you can read.

* * *

My life started when I died. No Joke. My new life, my life as an immortal vampire, began when my heart stopped, my blood stopped rushing through my veins, and I was clinically dead. But that's okay. Because that meant that I was finally like my husband, like Edward. I could finally be considered his equal. And _that_ was something that I was looking forward to. 

Of course, within the first few moments of my new life I became very glad that I couldn't blush. Because once I opened my eyes I found seven pairs of topaz eyes staring at me.

"Um, hello," I said timidly.

"Did you know that you scream a lot?" Emmett asked.

Rosalie smacked him on the arm.

Edward glared at him.

And I wanted to melt into the bed that I was laying on. Way to go Emmett. Let's make Bella feel horrible before she's even been dead for a minute.

"How do you feel?" Carlisle asked in the caring tone that it seems most doctors learn.

"Different," I answered hesitantly. I didn't realize exactly how much I noticed my heart before, but now that it wasn't beating it made a huge difference, and that felt odd. There was also a burning in the back of my throat, a burning that just kept getting worse. I had to swallow the liquid pooling in my mouth; the liquid that I could only assume was the venom that I could now create.

"You'll get used to it," Edward assured me, despite the worried look on his face. He held out a hand to help me up, and I took it.

His grip surprised me. It didn't feel quite as strong as it had felt before, but I knew instinctively that he was actually gripping my hand harder than he ever had in all the time I'd known him. He was gripping it hard enough that, had I been human still, it would have broken a few bones. However, my hand _didn't_ break because I wasn't quite as breakable as I had been before.

When I came to that conclusion a smile spread across my face, and the smile that Edward gave me in return when he realized that I wasn't upset was enough to light up several houses for a few weeks.

"Let's go in the bathroom!" Alice sang as she grabbed my hand and pulled me away from Edward. She led me to the bathroom and pushed me inside.

"Don't touch anything," Edward warned me as Alice came in behind me and shoved me in front of the mirror. "You'll break it with your new strength."

I didn't hear him. I was too busy staring at the girl in the mirror.

She was beautiful. That's a lame way of saying it, but it's true. If I didn't know any better I'd say that Alice had tricked me and put me in front of some crazy fun house mirror, one that distorts the image to make the person standing in front of it seem entirely more beautiful than was possible. But since I could see Alice in the mirror behind me, and she looked exactly the same as she usually does, I knew that wasn't the case.

"Is that me?" I asked warily.

Rosalie laughed from her spot in the crowd that was blocking the doorway as they watched me. "That's you. It's amazing what the transformation does, isn't it?"

"Yes," I answered. That's all I could say for more than one reason. The first was that I was shocked speechless that the girl in the mirror was me. The second was that the burning, scratchy, dry feeling in the back of my throat was getting worse. It was hard to concentrate because of it.

"She needs to hunt," Jasper announced quietly.

"I'll take her," Edward offered. He came and pulled me away from Alice. I followed without a fuss. I couldn't think clearly. All I wanted was something to stop the sensation that was controlling my thoughts.

I vaguely noticed that two others were with me. The longer I went without blood, the less coherent, less human-like my thoughts became. Soon, the only thing I could think of was my thirst. The second we were out the door and in the woods, I was gone.

There were two other vampires that were following me. Who did they think they were? The prey I was after was _mine_, and mine alone. They were going to try to take it away from me. I knew they were. So with a snarl at them, I ran faster.

The one on my left kept pace, but I left the other behind. I dodged through trees and bushes in an attempt to lose the one that was following me, but I couldn't. He wasn't as fast as me, but he was close, and my tactics didn't faze him. Finally, I just took off at a sprint towards the blood that was calling to me, hoping that I would get there before he did.

I won the race. I got to the thing first, and I didn't even hesitate as I sunk my teeth in its neck and drank the liquid that flowed out. I would have taken longer to savor it as it helped quench the thirst that I was feeling, but I knew the others were close behind, and I didn't want to let them have any of the four other living things in the clearing, so I drank it quickly and then moved on, draining the things before the others even arrived.

Once I was done I looked around, trying to figure out where the others were. They were there, leaning on trees and watching me. A snarl tore through the clearing, and I saw that the one, the fast one, seemed sad.

"Bella," it spoke, and the word startled me. It meant something, but I wasn't sure what.

I growled again and took off once more, this time headed for another clearing. I arrived before the others, and managed to suck that thing dry too.

"Bella," the one spoke again, and this time I knew what he was saying. That was my name.

The realization that it was my name brought a flood of other thoughts to my mind, and I looked down in horror at the deer at my feet. It was a baby. Its mother, which I could smell, was bounding away, running in fear from the monster that had just killed its baby.

Running in fear from me.

"Oh no," I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth in horror. "Oh no."

"Bella?" Edward asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I killed that baby," I said, not tearing my gaze away from the lifeless corpse in front of me. "I just killed that baby."

Edward sighed, and he put his hands on my shoulders in an attempt to turn me around. I fought at first, not wanting to move, and he pulled a little harder. I turned, and he put his finger beneath my chin, holding my face up so that he could make eye contact with me.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

"I don't know," I answered. He held my face up and searched my eyes for a few more seconds before taking that hand and brushing a wisp of hair back behind my ear. I buried my face in his chest and he held me close.

"I'll go bury the bodies," I heard Emmett say softly. Edward nodded and pulled me closer.

"Is the thirst more manageable?" Edward asked after a moment.

"Yes," I whispered.

"Are you better now?"

"I think so," I answered, pulling back so I could look up at his face. "Is that what it's always like? Are you always so helpless, so out of control that you don't even realize that it is your family is following you? Do your instincts always take over to that degree?"

He didn't answer for a moment, and I knew that couldn't be a good sign. It meant that he was trying to construct his next comment very carefully.

Finally, he broke the silence with a sigh. "Yes. I'm not going to lie. It's always that bad. But the more practice you have, the easier it is to control when your instincts take over, and the easier it is to return from letting your instincts take control. You'll be able to fight it a lot better once you have some practice and you aren't a newborn anymore. For the first year, until your eyes turn from their current color, this lovely red, to a gorgeous topaz, you will have to feed frequently. You won't be able to control yourself. One whiff of blood and you'll go insane. The urge is impossible to ignore. However, it will get better. And I'll be by your side every step of the way. I promise."

"Will I hurt any humans?" I asked quietly, so softly that I could barely hear myself. Edward heard me though, and his determined answer came quickly.

"We won't let you," Edward promised. "We'll help you so you don't."

"I'm done," Emmett announce as he returned to our clearing.

"Do you need to hunt some more, Bella?" Edward asked.

"I probably should," I admitted. The thirst wasn't quite gone yet, and I didn't want to go back until I'd had my fill of blood.

"Then let's go," Edward said. "Let your instincts take control again."

I glanced at him worriedly.

"Don't worry," Emmett said, correctly interpreting my look. "We won't let you kill any more humans, and we'll try to keep you off the babies."

"Promise?" I asked hesitantly.

"Promise," Emmett answered as he ruffled my hair. "What good are big brothers if we don't help our baby sisters?"

"No good at all," I answered with a hint of a smile. He grinned and took off running.

"Race you!" he called over his shoulder.

I grabbed Edward's hand and we took off running, dodging every tree as we gained on Emmett.

It was then that the scent hit my nose. All thoughts of beating Emmett disappeared, and in their place was one thought.

Blood.

The most delicious blood I'd ever smelled, which really wasn't saying much since I hadn't been a vampire for very long, but it was simply irresistible all the same.

I tore my hand from Edward's and bolted towards the smell.

I heard those two, the ones that were following me before, yelling something, but I didn't want to wait for them to hear what it was. It was probably just a way to get me to slow down so they could get to the blood first. I ran faster.

This thing that I was hunting, it wasn't like the other things. The other things were smaller, and furry. This thing had some fur on the top of its head, but not really on the rest of its body. It walked on two legs instead of four.

I instantly knew that this is what I was meant to hunt. The other things weren't even close to what I knew I was supposed to feed on.

I circled around the outside of the clearing that this thing was in, trying to choose the best angle for attack. It didn't know I was there. It was looking at something in its hands, some flat white thing. But that didn't matter. Nothing did. Nothing but the fact that I had to have that blood.

I crouched and prepared to spring for the food. Just as my muscles tensed, I felt myself get picked up and carried away from my prey. I tried to let out a snarl, because I knew it was those two others and they would only try to take my prey for themselves, but a hand covered my mouth and stopped it. I tried to bite the hand, but it moved just in time before replacing itself.

"Bella, snap out of it!" a voice commanded.

"Bella, think! Think! That's a human! You don't want to kill a human!"

A low growl sounded from my chest and my captors gave me a little shake.

"Quit it, Bella. Snap out of it." They threw me up against a tree and pinned me there, despite my struggles.

"Let me go!" I snarled.

"No."

"Let me GO!"

"No!"

I growled and tried to lunge away, but they pinned me to the tree again, and the big one slapped me. I let out an enraged roar.

"Bella, fight it! Fight your instincts!"

Slowly, after several minutes and a variety of different methods that Edward and Emmett used to make me listen, I came back to my senses. My struggles slowed, and then finally stopped. I stared at my brother and husband with wide eyes.

"Bella?" Edward asked worriedly.

The second they let me free I was gone. But I wasn't running towards the human. I was running away. I'd almost killed someone. I couldn't live with that, so I ran away to get away from my family. To get away from the knowledge that they'd all have to help me. To get away from the reminder that I had a long struggle ahead of me.

I had a head start, and the advantage of being a newborn, and therefore faster. Edward wouldn't be able to catch me until I stopped, and I wasn't planning on stopping for a long time.

What I wasn't counting on was the other vampire waiting for me.

But he was counting on me running past, and he was ready.

I was in his arms and being carried away before I even knew what was happening.

* * *

A/N: Yes, it's true. I'm back. I've been working with this idea for awhile and I think it should be fun for me to write and fun for you to read. 

No, this is not a sequel to any of my other stories. This is a completely new story line, or at least as completely new as one can get when one is writing fan fiction.

I'm not sure how frequently I'm going to update this, but it should be at least once or twice a week. I get a little obsessive over my stories, and I won't be able to stop thinking about it until it's written, so that's good for you. Bad for my college homework, but good for you.

I've been avoiding this for a while, but I think that I can't avoid it any longer. I've gone back and read some of my old stuff, and I noticed all kinds of mistakes that I've made. So I'm in the market for a beta. If you're interested, I'd like to see some of your own work before I pick you. I'm really picky when it comes to who I let read my stuff and tell me what they think is wrong. I'd also like someone who will be around a lot of the time so that it doesn't slow down the process of getting the chapters out. I get the feeling that there's going to be quite a bit of time between chapters, and I know that everyone hates it when writers take forever to post a new chapter. Just so you know, I have nothing against anyone, I'm just really picky when it comes to who edits my stuff. But yeah, if you're interested, let me know.

I think that's it for now. I hope you guys enjoy this story. :)

Until the next chapter,  
Addie


	3. A Slight Change In Plans

"Let me go!" I snarled, however for a different reason this time. This vampire was one that I had never met before, and he was running away with me. He had long black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and the smooth, sharp characteristics of a vampire. However, it appeared that even the venom couldn't make ugly things beautiful, because he had to be the ugliest vampire I'd ever seen.

His features were imperfectly proportioned, his nose too big for his face, his eyes bugging out further than should have been healthy. I thought that if there was any additional distance between his eyes and the back of his head that they would pop out of the sockets. I couldn't see how they were staying in to begin with. His mouth was too small, his ears were too big, and even another millimeter between his eyes would put them practically on the side of his head. He was scrawny, yet he did possess the extraordinary strength of the undead, proving the fact that looks can be deceiving. I didn't think it was possible for vampires to look like they had naturally greasy hair, but this guy somehow managed that. There was no doubt about it - he was atrocious.

The fact that he was strikingly hideous-looking didn't change the reality that this creep was carrying me away from Edward, away from my home. I didn't want to leave Edward, not for forever, anyway. Never mind the fact that I had just been trying to get away from him - now, I wanted to return to him.

It was clear my captor didn't want me to go back - he just held on tighter and ran faster.

"Let me go!" I demanded again, struggling. Despite the fact that I was a newborn and was far stronger, he was holding me in such a way that prevented me from getting any leverage to fight back. I was stuck.

"EDWARD!!!!" I screamed, "EMMETT!!!!"

"They'll never catch us," the vampire said, finally speaking. His voice was as heinous as his appearance, and I wanted to cover my ears. "You were too far ahead of them. Your head start gave me the advantage that I needed to get you away."

By that time, we had reached the edge of a busy highway. He ran over to a green Chevy Lumina at human pace, tossed me hastily in through the back door that had conveniently opened before we reached the car, and into the waiting arms of another vampire that reminded me of Emmett merely from the size of his muscles, before going around the front of the car and getting in behind the wheel. There was a third vampire in the backseat, one that wasn't quite as bulky as the second one, who closed the door and then helped the second one to hold me down while my original captor drove away at an insane speed, one that I didn't think was possible with this kind of car, dodging traffic like there was no tomorrow.

I sincerely hoped that there wouldn't be a tomorrow for him. I wished with all my heart, even if it was dead, that Edward would catch up to us.

My wishes were not granted. As we drove farther and farther away from Forks and my family, I realized that there wasn't much of a chance that Edward would find me. I was too far ahead, and he would think that I had run away. He would be heartbroken. I hoped that Alice had seen this whole ordeal. Hopefully she and Edward were on the phone right then, discussing where this insane kidnapper and his henchmen were taking me. Maybe they would be there waiting for us when we arrived.

As I thought about my family and how they would help me (because I certainly wasn't going to get away with three other, older vampires watching me), I stopped struggling. I sat quietly in the back seat, not moving, trying my hardest to refrain from hitting or slapping or decapitating anyone. I tried to watch where we were going, but I had missed the first twenty minutes or so of the trip while I was too busy trying to get away. I didn't recognize my surroundings, not that I could decipher the differences between the solid, moss-covered wall of trees outside the window from any other area of the state, anyways. I couldn't even tell what direction we were going. If I was going to escape, I'd have to wander around for awhile until I figured out exactly where I was at.

The first vampire, the one who had seized me and was now driving, chose to speak to me once I was still.

"Are you calm now?" he asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

I spat some of the venom that was still in my mouth from my hunting trip at him, and he laughed.

"Such spirit. No matter. I know you are calm, now. My name is Alden. I'm sorry I had to take you in such a rude manner, but you see - I really had no choice. I knew you wouldn't come without a fight, no matter how I tried to persuade you, so I chose this route. I apologize if it's not the most enjoyable of the times you've been swept off of your feet, but it is the most entertaining for me, I must admit. I think that-"

"What do you want with me?" I asked, venom, figurative this time, dripping from my every word as I cut his long-winded speech down.

"Your help," he answered simply, glancing in the rearview mirror and locking his red eyes with my equally ruby ones. He studied my expression for a moment before turning his attention back to the road. "I need your help with one of my projects."

"Why would I care?" I goaded him.

"You don't," he said, the hint of a smirk crossing his face, "and I don't expect you to. But I do think that you will care about the offer I am going to make you."

He stopped talking then, obviously waiting for me to inquire about said offer. We sat in silence for several minutes as I ignored him, or at least tried to. I was unsuccessful. I became intrigued, and finally broke.

"Fine," I spat. "What's this _offer_ that you are extending to me?"

He smiled, triumphant. "I thought you might want to know."

"Just tell me," I demanded, impatience flooding through me.

"I can help you so that you are never tempted to drink from a human. Ever," he added, watching the road and carefully avoiding glancing at my face.

"How?" I asked, frozen in place.

"You'll have to agree to help me before I tell you," he taunted me, glancing at me once more in the mirror to gauge my reaction again.

"I won't agree to help you until I know what I'm agreeing to and I decide that it's worth the price you're going to pay."

He relinquished easily, "I have some… acquaintances… that owe me money. It will take some persuasion to convince them that they need to pay up. You're a new vampire. It will take your strength to convince them, as well as your resistance to vampire's gifts. I think that you will do well indeed, and I absolutely need your participation. In return, I will show you the way that I know that will make it so you never feel the need to drink human blood. You may feel the temptation, but the control over your body will be so great that you will not waver. It's an easy method for you to learn."

"How long will it last?" I asked, skeptical. This sounded much too good to be true, and my life had taught me that things often _were_ too good to be true, with the exception of Edward and his family. However, they didn't go around kidnaping people or vampires without their consent - well, other than me, although even then, it was really out of their concern for me. I didn't trust this man like I trusted them.

"For the duration of your acceptance of my aid," he answered.

"I'm interested," I admitted.

"I thought you might be," he repeated.

"Can you tell your henchmen to let go of me now?" I asked hopefully.

He laughed, and his laugh was carefree and happy. "Not a chance. But nice try."

"I couldn't just give up that easily," I grumbled. His laugh filled the car again, and I made a face. I didn't want to be with him, but I wasn't going to complain too much. He had a method that would prevent me from ever being lured into ending an innocent life. I was too interested to listen to my common sense screaming its warnings at me.

* * *

"We're here," Alden announced as he pulled up in front of an old, abandoned warehouse.

The windows were boarded up and the wood planks on the outside looked like they would fall off at the first gust of wind. It smelled strongly of dust and mildew, and due to the newly heightened sensitivity to all of my senses, the smells offended my nose. The warehouse looked like no one ever used it, and in reality, no one except Alden probably ever did. It surprised me that the city, whatever city we were in, hadn't tried to tear it down yet. It looked like it would fall apart at any moment. I glared at him suspiciously.

"It looks like a dump," I announced.

"I told you I need help retrieving the money that is owed to me," he reminded me. He nodded towards the front of the building, and his thugs started dragging me out of the car and towards the entrance.

Once inside, they roughly shoved me on the ground, face down, and I felt Alden rip open the back of my shirt.

"Hey!" I protested loudly, trying to squirm away. "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

"Helping you with your control," he answered absently as he traced his fingernail down the center of my back, directly over my spine. I began to worry about my safety once again.

"Let me go!" I demanded. "I don't want your help anymore. I'll manage on my own, thank you very much!"

Alden didn't answer, and I continued to struggle, though my efforts were in vain.

Suddenly, I felt a searing pain in my back, one that gave me the sensation that I was being ripped open, cell by cell. I screamed, but the pain just worsened. It trickled down my spine slowly, as though Alden were tearing my skin open with his bare hands. I shrieked again and started violently thrashing, this time to find an escape from the pain rather than an escape from my captors. Alden's thugs just pressed me harder into the floor in an attempt to keep me still.

The pain went from scorching to unbearable within seconds. My convulsing began anew and my screaming was intolerable, even to me. But I couldn't stop, it hurt far too much. It felt like my backbone, then eventually the rest of my muscles and nerves, were on fire. It was similar to the flames of my transformation, but so much more painful.

As the fire started to fade, I found that I was having issues moving. I couldn't move my arms, and then I had trouble working my legs. I couldn't twitch my nose or wiggle my fingers. I had no control over my body. I tried talking, but I couldn't. I was worried that I was paralyzed. I wasn't sure how one removed movement from, and thus incapacitated a vampire, but it seemed that Alden had solved that mystery and used his solution on me.

Suddenly, unpredictably, I was able to get up. The other vampires let go of me, and I stood. But then something unexpected happened.

I walked straight to Alden and stood motionless in front of him.

Now, don't get me wrong, walking towards him was what I wanted to do, because I wanted to slap him (or worse if I could manage), but remaining still as a statue wasn't in my plans.

I didn't even cringe when he reached out and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. I didn't blink, I didn't move at all, I just stared straight ahead.

"What did I tell you?" Alden asked quietly with a smirk on his face. "You may feel the temptation to drink from a human, but the control over your body will be so great that you won't even flinch. I won't let you. You'll feel the enticement, but I won't, and since I'm the one that will be controlling you, there won't be any problem. It's an easy method for you to learn, is it not? It is _precisely_ what I promised you."

I wanted so much to be able to talk, to chew him out, to tell him that I was about to put an end to his miserable life, but I couldn't. I couldn't even look away from his ugly, pale face and his black hair and his vicious, crimson eyes. I couldn't crush that perfect nose straight through his skull. I couldn't do _anything_, because I had no power over my own body. I was completely out of control for the third time that day.

I liked the previous two instances better. At least then I didn't know what I was doing, I wasn't fully aware of the way I was behaving. But with this torturous existence, I had full command over my thoughts, just not my motions.

Yeah, I liked the bloodthirsty lack of control much better than this.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to everyone who offered to beta for me. :) After some serious consideration, I chose LaLaLovely47 for the daunting task, and thus far she's done a wonderful job. The quality of my writing (or at least what you will see) is going to go up from now on. She's amazing, seriously. Her stories are too, so if you're looking for something good to read I'd suggest checking her stuff out.

As I said before, I'm not sure how frequently I will update this story. My schoolwork comes first, and then my story. If you want me to update more frequently, talk to my professors and tell them to quit giving out homework. ;)

At any rate, thanks to everyone who is reading this, and a bigger thanks to all those who have reviewed (and will review too). You all make my day so much brighter.

Until the next chapter,  
Addie


	4. Questions Answered

A/N: Thanks again to LaLaLovely47 for being my beta. She's doing a wonderful job!

* * *

"I anticipate that you have a lot of questions," Alden commented after a moment of silence. He studied my face for a moment before nodding and turning to walk further into the warehouse. I heard the other two vampires walking out the door, and then I felt myself walking after Alden. He stopped outside of a door and pushed a combination of numbers into a key pad that was hidden very well under a plank of wood. The door popped open and Alden and I went inside.

"I find that using technology is a good way to confuse my fellow vampires," Alden said conversationally as we entered the room. There were several different television monitors, a few computers, and a switchboard with a lot of buttons that I didn't get an opportunity to study because Alden didn't let me look at them. Alden made me sit in a chair directly beside him, and he flipped a few switches on the board before turning on the computer and two television monitors.

"I have a strange gift," Alden explained as he waited for everything to turn on. "In my human life I was very much like Jasper. I could influence people in ways that most couldn't. I was spoiled rotten, I'm sure, because no matter what I wanted, I would get it. People would go out of their way to do things for me. I thought that it was that way for everyone, at least for a little while, but I quickly learned that this wasn't the case.

"When I became a vampire my gift was to be able to control people's actions. I can still influence people without their knowledge. However," he turned back to his computer and typed in his password while conveniently making me look away, "While I can influence humans more than normal people, complete control is, unfortunately, impossible. Vampires, on the other hand, are a completely different story. The way that I can control you has to do with my venom. I add my venom to your spinal cord, and then it allows me to control your movements. My venom stops the messages sent by your brain from reaching your muscles, and allows me to send the message saying what _I_ want to happen instead.

"Because you were already a vampire, this process worked much better than if I were to try this with a human. My venom would take three days to spread, slowly turning the individual into a vampire, and by the time the venom finishes spreading, my control has spread as well. Due to the fact that you are apparently a quick healer, your body tried to prevent the spread of the venom, leaving it concentrated around your spinal cord. The slight lump you feel on the back of your neck," he made me reach back and touch it, "is a very concentrated area of venom and human blood. It's closest to the brain, and therefore where my directions come from. It is an odd gift, but a useful one all the same."

He stopped talking and worked on his computer for a few moments, fiddling with the settings on some different programs and then adjusting the configuration of a few knobs and dials on the hardware around the room. I remained motionless beside him, unable even to follow him with my eyes. The injustice of the whole ordeal was overwhelming. I hadn't even been a vampire for an hour before I didn't have any control over my life. I didn't have any control over anything except my thoughts. I wanted to be a vampire, but apparently my becoming a vampire set another plan into action. I didn't like this plan.

"I mentioned that I use technology earlier," Alden started again, pulling me once again from my thoughts. "My gift does not allow me to know what you are doing. I can tell you to do things, but I cannot know if you are actually doing it, or what is happening around you if I am not there.

"For my plans to work, you will have to be alone. I've been experimenting with technology for a long time, and I think I am finally at a point where I can let you go out on your own without me having to fear that something will happen to you that I won't know about. I find that technology confuses other vampires. Any vampires that I wish to fool are from other times, times when technology wasn't as advanced, and as such they don't think to use it on a regular basis.

"Take your coven as an example. They use very little technology compared to what they _could_ use. They are rich, after all, yet they don't buy such 'trivial' items. That is their loss. I use small cameras and microphones to know what is happening wherever my subject in question goes. I used to have to rely on cameras and microphones placed ahead of time in the rooms that I knew my pawns would be in, but now that there are so many advances in mobile equipment I can rely instead on these devices." He reached over and handed me a necklace, and obediently I reached out to take it and then put it on.

It was a simple necklace, and I didn't understand the need for me to wear it. It was made from hemp cord, and it had small black beads set in as part of the design every inch or so. There was a single green pendant with a black circle in the center of the necklace.

"The necklace is normal on its own," Alden explained. "Once I plug it into the power box, which also doubles as a transmitter," he showed me a slim black rectangle with a cord sticking out of it, "and hide it in your back pocket, then it becomes so much more. The black beads are alternating microphones and cameras. The pendant on the front serves as a camera and as a weight to keep your necklace facing the correct direction. The necklace sends video and sound back to this room so that I know what is happening around you. It's a simple concept, but actually very difficult to formulate. Developing this necklace took more than two thousand dollars. The design is very intricate, and I'll have to calibrate it every time that you return. It is entirely worth the effort, though."

He plugged the cord from the box into the necklace and then placed the box in the back pocket of my jeans. He reached into a little cabinet and pulled out two shirts, a tee-shirt and a sweatshirt and handed them both to me.

"Since I ruined the shirt you have on here's two more to wear," he stated, and I remembered that he had torn my shirt open. I'd been walking around with my back completely exposed. "The regular shirt is for walking around here. I figure it will be more comfortable. Once you go out in public you will need to wear the sweatshirt. It will hide the cord better. You'll just have to be careful...well, _I'll_ have to be careful to prevent the sweatshirt from covering the necklace."

He made me pull off my ruined shirt and pull the tee-shirt on instead. I wanted to slap him for watching me. I wanted so much to kill him before and now that want was intensified. He had no right to watch me - my husband was the only one who was allowed to see me like this.

Once the shirt was on Alden allowed me to sit back down again. I wanted to run away and never come back. I felt humiliated, taken advantage of, and abused. Had I been human I know that I would have been crying tears of shame and anger.

As humiliating as that was for me, it didn't seem to faze Alden at all. He continued on as if nothing had just happened.

"If you'll look at the monitors now," he said, as if I had any choice in the matter, "you'll see that your necklace gives me a view of everything that's around you. If you were to turn around on the exact spot that you're in now, I can see exactly what you would be able to see. I have the speakers turned down so we don't get any feedback from the microphones, but I would be able to hear almost everything. These microphones aren't quite as sensitive as our hearing," he gave a little laugh, "but they're close. This way I will know what's happening and I can keep you safe."

He stopped to think for a moment, and I grew impatient at the silence. I couldn't do anything, so I expected that he would at least keep me entertained, but he didn't seem to think that he owed me that. We sat for what seemed like an eternity while I waited for him to speak again.

Finally, he broke the silence with a discontented sigh. "I suppose that I'll have to release you if you're in real trouble - for example, losing a fight because I'm controlling you. There is a little bit of a delay in the picture, and vampires are almost too fast for the small cameras to keep up. If you're in danger of dying, I'll have to free you. So you need not worry about death because of me. I'll allow you to defend yourself."

He looked at his computer again and smiled. "Ah, Martin is in place. Would you like to see exactly what I can do with vampires who I have changed? My two henchmen, as you described them, are vampires that I changed in the early days of my experiments. Once I figured out everything I could from them, I started looking for someone like you. You were the perfect subject, all except for the fact that you weren't a vampire yet. I watched you well before your friend became a werewolf. I was going to stop Laurent from completely killing you if he did manage to bite you, but the werewolves got to him first. I was going to let his venom spread, and then I would have used my own venom once your transformation was complete, but that did not pan out. I was forced to wait."

I thought it ironic that he had asked if I wanted to see Martin and then he was completely ignoring the screen, but the fact that he had been watching me for a long time was more shocking. How had he managed to get past Alice and Edward?

"The next opportunity I thought I had was in Volterra," Alden continued, oblivious to my thoughts. "They wanted to kill you. I would have offered to do it, of course, had they been willing to let me. I would have taken you elsewhere and had someone else bite you. I had told Aro of my fascination with you before you even arrived. I am the one that told them how much potential you had. They would have been able to figure it out on their own, but I tipped them off. However, thanks to your friend Alice, you were able to worm your way out of that predicament. I was forced to wait again.

"After your husband returned he was much more protective of you than I thought he would be. I had little opportunity to watch you, but I was grateful that I had possessed the foresight to plant cameras and microphones in the Cullen's house before they returned. I was able to watch you through those cameras, as well as the ones that I had placed in your own house. No one expected anything, and I was still able to retrieve the information that I required."

Rage filled me. He had been watching me all along? How dare he!?

"I was able to help your coven in their attempts to protect you. I influenced the vampires working for Victoria so that they wouldn't be as effective while fighting. I made Victoria less eager to kill you, if you can believe that. She may have succeeded if I had not helped your family along. I couldn't have you dying; that would ruin my plans. So I helped, and no one was the wiser.

"Once you were awake after your transformation I watched with baited breath. Would your immunity to other vampire's gifts not cross over into death with you? But I knew that it had when Edward kept asking you if you were alright, when he was worried about you until you showed outward signs of joy. You were still immune, and my heart leapt. That was the time for me to act.

"I influenced a hiker to be in the woods not far from you. I influenced Emmett to run close enough that you would smell the blood. I was unable to convince you that you should run towards me, but you did anyway. I tried to make you hold still while I ran, but I couldn't do that either. I was not too worried, however, because I knew your mind was protected. I knew once my venom was in you that you would be unable to resist my command. I deal with your nervous system, and my gift, at the highest level, leaves your brain alone. It merely works with the nervous system and muscles. Sure enough, you are under my control. You cannot resist my command. My plans have worked perfectly thus far."

I stared at him because he forced me to, even if I would have been glaring at him in horror, had I been able to choose whether or not to look at him. He'd been planning this for a long time, and he had been spying on my family. His plans weren't getting thwarted as I had hoped they might. If my family was going to plan what they had to do to find me, he would know what they were planning. He had everything just the way he wanted it. I was mortified.

"Would you like to see what is happening at your home?" He asked me after a moment of silence. He minimized the window that showed where Martin was and brought up another program. This one caused the television sets to move from their current view of the room to show pictures of the Cullen's house - of my house.

Edward was sulking in his room. Alice was pacing in her room with Jasper sitting on the bed watching her. Carlisle was in his office on the phone, Esme was cleaning the living room, Emmett and Rosalie were in their room and Rosalie was comforting Emmett.

Another screen showed my father at the police station, and he was on the phone too, arguing with someone on the other end. His face was purple, and I could tell he was mad. I wanted to comfort everyone, but I knew I couldn't. Alden wouldn't let me go home. The only relief I felt was that he didn't seem to have any cameras on my mother. Perhaps he thought that because I had been in Forks and showed no signs of wanting to live with my mother that he didn't need to watch her house. I knew she would be anxious as well, though. She had to be sick with worry because I was missing.

"You may come in here to watch them, and possibly call them whenever you'd like," Alden offered. "Well, whenever you would like as long as you aren't in the middle of helping me and as long as you don't tell them of our location," he amended. "I know I am cruel for forcing you to do this. I do want to make it a little easier, if I can. I will allow you to return home as soon as you are through helping me. I'll even remove my venom so that I cannot control you any longer. I just need your help for now."

His eyes pleaded with me to understand his case, to see his point of view. He thought he needed my help. I thought that was funny, since he had spent a small fortune on the necklace. It seemed to me that if he would just budget his money that he would be fine.

I loathed him. I loathed him with every fiber of my being. As soon as I had control of myself I was going to beat him to a pulp and then let Edward have a chance to tell him, or show him, how he felt.

Obviously not expecting an answer from me, since I couldn't really move without his direction, he turned back to his computer.

"I'll show you what I can do with Martin," he said, closing that portion of the conversation.

"Martin," he said, speaking into a microphone while he turned up the volume on the speakers.

"I am in place," Martin answered, and I could tell that Martin was the big one before Alden even displayed the view from Martin's necklace on the television.

"Martin doesn't have a necklace like you do," Alden explained. "He only has one camera in his necklace, and he has an earpiece and microphone so that we can communicate. He is the one that I have the least control over, but I pay him well, so he doesn't put up too much of a fight. He was the first human that I attempted to control."

"Are you ready?" Martin asked.

"I am," Alden answered, and suddenly the view on the television changed. Martin had been sitting in a park, watching the children playing on a wooden play set. The view changed, though, to show that he was running through the woods at vampire speed, or at least I assumed he was because the camera was only catching bits and pieces. I'd say that they were trying to show me a picture slideshow with an insanely fast rate at which the pictures changed, but I knew better. The camera just couldn't keep up, so we saw bits and pieces of the scenery as it flew by.

Suddenly Martin turned and ran straight for a cliff. He didn't even hesitate before diving off.

"He did not decide to jump," Alden explained to me as I watched in horror as the ground come nearer and nearer on the screen. "I told him to. I can give him instructions that are like an impulse. He must obey the impulse, but after a few seconds he can control himself again. Most people I can give suggestions to their muscles, and sometimes their muscles obey, other times they don't. Martin is a step up, he must obey, always, it's just a matter of whether or not he wants to continue doing what I made him do."

I gave a mental sigh of relief when Martin reached the ground safely and continued running. Even if he had helped capture me, he was one of Alden's pawns too. I didn't want him to die by Alden's hand.

"Ben, report," Alden commanded, clicking a few things and bringing the view from Ben's camera up on the screen. Ben was standing outside a barn. The barn's doors were shut and appeared to be padlocked. I could hear cows mooing in the background.

"I'm in place."

"Good." Suddenly the doors to the barn weren't there anymore, and Ben was destroying the barn board by board. I watched in horror as all of the cows were crushed beneath the falling loft and roof. The sight of their blood both repulsed me and made something within me stir. I was hungry again, and I didn't even have to smell the blood. I had seen it, and my thoughts were gone. I was no longer Bella Cullen. I was an animal, something that had only one coherent thought, but I was trapped and couldn't do anything about that thought. I wanted to rip whatever was holding me in place to shreds.

"Ben is the next step up. He can fight my control if he wishes, but it is harder for him to control himself than it is for Martin. It takes more concentration for me to actively control him than it does for me to control Martin." Words, meaningless words. Words that fell on deaf ears as I lusted after the blood I had seen from the cows.

He turned off the television and then turned to face me. "Then there is you. As long as my predictions are correct, you can't fight me. You have no control over your body. It takes a huge amount of concentration for me to guide your actions. If you're doing more than sitting there I will be virtually useless. I won't be able to concentrate on myself at all, only you. It leaves me vulnerable, but that's what Martin and Ben are for. They will stand guard while I guide you. They won't require my instructions because they know it is in their best interest if I do not die. It will be that way for you soon too. I'll explain that at a later time, though. Right now, I believe you need to hunt. Shall we go find some food?"

Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and left the room, forcing me to follow along. I knew then that no matter how long this sentence of helplessness was, it would only be too long. Nothing would make this worthwhile. The animal within me, no matter how strong it was, couldn't mask this idea. This realization broke through the thoughts of the animal and hit me like a ton of bricks.

But as much as I hated what was happening, I couldn't fight the urge that I needed to feed for long. It was time to let the animal within me completely take over, and for that I was glad. Since I had seen the cows dying (and with the exception of that one second), there was only one thing on my mind.

Blood.


	5. Newborn Helplessness

Blood.

There was one of those strange animals that walked on two legs and that wasn't covered in much fur at all that was outside the building I had been in. I wanted to go after it. It was my food source. I lived to drain that animal of its life-force, to drink that succulent red liquid from it, to leave it lifeless and dry. I _needed_ that blood.

I couldn't get it. I couldn't move towards it. I didn't know why my body wouldn't obey. I didn't know why I couldn't get to the enticing scarlet fluid. I attempted to growl, but I couldn't do that either. I was completely stuck.

"You don't like to drink from humans, Isabella," someone said from beside me. I wanted to rip him to shreds. He was after my prey, and I knew he was keeping me from it.

"Remember, you don't like to drink from humans," the voice said again, and suddenly I was free.

The thing didn't even see me coming. I sunk my teeth into its soft throat and savored the relief it brought me. By the time I was done drinking from it, the carcass was so dry that they would have trouble finding even a drop of liquid in it. I wrinkled my nose at the foul smells that came from the thing when it finally gave up living, but I wasn't concerned with it. There was more blood down the street.

I was down the street and on top of my next prey before the other vampire could get there. I didn't want to share. It was _my_ prey.

Two humans later I was able to think in a slightly more clear manner. I backed away from the body of my third victim and straight into the waiting arms of Alden.

"I thought you didn't want to drink from humans," Alden commented as his steel grip kept me from moving.

"I… I… I didn't mean to! I didn't want to drink from them, but I couldn't-"

"Couldn't control yourself?" Alden finished. I felt him nod behind me. "You should have been able to control yourself, Isabella. If you really didn't want to drink from a human you would have been able to resist. I don't think that you really believe in the Cullen's diet. I think, deep down, you really want to feed on humans."

"No!" I protested. "No! That's not it at all! I'm a newborn! I can't resist!"

"That's what your husband told you to make you feel better. That isn't really true," Alden said. "Did your father-in-law not resist when he was a newborn? It is possible if you _really_ want it. But you can't resist because you really don't want it, do you? You're just as bad as a vampire who never tries to follow that absurd diet. What do they call it at your house? Oh yes, the 'vegetarian' diet. You're actually worse. You lie to everyone and say that you don't want to feed on the humans, but you really do. So you take innocent lives, _and_ you lie. How much worse can it get? If given the opportunity you'd slaughter a whole town, wouldn't you? All because you claim, 'you can't resist.' How _pathetic_."

"But I don't – I really… I really don't want to drink from them! I can't control myself!"

"Tell those three people you just killed," Alden said softly. "Tell those poor souls who will never see their families or friends again. Tell their families that you couldn't help yourself. Tell their bosses why you murdered them. You're a monster, Isabella."

"No, I'm not," I said forcefully. "I am _not_ a monster. I at least try to be good."

"You lie," Alden hissed in my ear. He released me and I tried to run away, but I couldn't. He had me under his control again.

"You'll need a new shirt," Alden said with disgust. "The least you could do as a monster is to eat your meals without getting it all over yourself. As it is, I'll have to dispose of the bodies and clean you up. You're despicable."

And with that he turned and led the way back towards his warehouse – my personal hell on earth.

* * *

Once back in the warehouse Alden led me to a section than I had seen before. This section looked more finished than the other section had. It at least had wallpaper in the hallways and nicer doors. The wallpaper was an off-white base color with little pink flower buds on green vines with green leaves. It was all faded with age. Everything, despite being more finished looking, was covered in at least an inch of dust. I would have sneezed had I still been human. Just looking at something seemed to make the dust move and fill the air. The sections of early morning sunlight from the windows along the end of the warehouse showed just how much dust was in the air. I guessed that this section had been the office area when the warehouse had been at its peak.

Alden opened a door and peaked inside. Satisfied with what he saw, he opened the door the rest of the way and made me go inside.

There was a chair in the corner, a mirror in the opposite corner, a white dresser next to a closet that had nothing in it and that had no door, and a desk in the corner opposite the door that I had just walked in.

Alden made me change my shirt to one that he handed me and then made me hand my bloody shirt back to him. He then made me sit in the chair that was facing the mirror. Once I was sitting down and he was satisfied with my position, he closed the door, leaving me alone.

* * *

I waited for almost an entire day for him to come back. During that time I had nothing to do but stare straight ahead at the mirror. I could see things about the room in my peripheral vision, but I could not turn my head nor move my eyes.

The first thing I noticed about the room was that it looked like there had been a fight in there. The closet door, even though the door itself was missing, was my first clue. There were splinters of wood hanging on to the screws that were still in place in the hinges, telling me that the door had been torn off. There were dents in the wall that looked like someone had been thrown into them and there were scratches on the dresser. The desk had a crack on the top that went straight through the board. The drawers were dented. The chair looked as though it had been thrown. There was a spot on the wall next to the door that looked like the chair had left its mark there. The whole place, though not quite noticeable at first, had been trashed, and it looked like someone had gone through quite a bit of effort to hide that fact.

After I grew tired of looking at the room I decided to look in the mirror. What I saw there startled me, just as it had before when I was at home. My hair was perfect, flawless, and beautiful. My hair shone like it had never shone before. Even sitting down I could see curves that were foreign to my body. Everything was hardened and looked as though I were a living marble statue. I had the telltale dark circles beneath my eyes that marked me as a vampire.

My eyes were the most startling thing I could see. They were a deep red, and seemed like they were endless pools of blood. I felt like I could see miles into them, a huge distance into the bottomless pit of my soul.

My soul seemed blank. My eyes were expressionless and blank. They were deep, but empty. I worried that perhaps Edward had been right. Perhaps becoming a vampire did take away my soul.

But common sense prevailed. Edward's eyes didn't look this blank. It was probably just because I couldn't control myself and I was lifeless at the moment that my eyes seemed so dead and void.

After taking in every detail about myself that I could, I let my mind wander. I thought about Edward and the rest of my family. I thought about what I was going to do once I was free from this prison. I thought about Alice and hoped that she had seen what had happened to me.

* * *

The light coming in under the door was at almost the exact same slant as it had been when I came in, meaning that it had been almost twenty four hours, when the door opened. Alden stood aside and let me walk out and towards the door to the world outside of the warehouse.

However, before we reached the doors he made me turn and walk through another door and into another large part of the warehouse.

There was nothing in this room. It was entirely empty except for stacks and stacks of boxes and Martin and Ben standing in the center of the open space.

"We're going to test my ability to control your actions," Alden explained. "Ben will fight you first, and then Martin will take his turn. They will not hurt you. This is just for practice."

The next thing I knew, Ben was flying across the room at me, and I was moving.

It was the strangest sensation, having a vampire that seemed bent on killing someone trying to tackle me while I did nothing but still managed to escape. I twisted and turned in ways that I didn't know I could. I was more graceful than I had ever been. I was unstoppable.

Soon Ben's turn was over and Martin began. The exercise continued in the way it had been going; No one could even touch me. My speed from being a newborn was enough that it kept me just inches away from my attacker at all times.

Eventually Martin stopped too, and they stood watching me with a look that could almost be described as awe.

"I'd forgotten how fast newborns can be," Alden commented as he walked forward to join the little circle. "I'm impressed with your speed and strength, Isabella. You're exactly what I need for my plans."

"Does she go out tonight?" Martin asked.

"We'll let her hunt first, and then yes, she'll go out tonight. It should be a success. We're starting with a human, so we won't need her speed or strength, just her beauty."

He ran his fingers through my hair, and I wanted to punch him. He had no right to touch me, no right at all.

"I'll bring in my friend to help get her ready so she looks as nice as she can, and then we'll send her to the bar. She shouldn't have to be there more than half an hour or so. Aaron is easily persuaded by beauty."

Martin and Ben laughed, and I got the feeling I was missing an inside joke. I couldn't ask, though, so I remained staring straight ahead at the far wall.

"Let's try again, only this time I want to use her necklace to see what's happening. I'll let you know when I'm ready."

He disappeared and I was left standing motionless with the other two.

"I'm ready," I finally heard Alden say through Martin's ear piece.

Suddenly I was flat on the ground with Martin on top of me. I could hear Alden swearing through the ear piece.

"I didn't even see you move," he practically whined. "I thought we'd tested these cameras and they were close to vampire speed."

"Apparently not," Martin chuckled as he stood up and helped me to my feet again. "Maybe we need to go get the cameras I suggested we get in the first place."

"You can do that tonight once you're done babysitting," Alden instructed him. "Let's keep practicing now. Just try to stick to human speed, please."

"Or you could let Isabella fight for herself," Ben commented wryly from across the room.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Alden said. "Let's get back to work."

And that was how I found myself fighting Ben and Martin all day long. It was a long day, but it was better than the night that lay ahead.

* * *

I'm soooo sorry guys. It took me a long time to type up the chapter and then my beta couldn't get it back to me, and I know it's been forever. An entire month. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.

As it is, this chapter wasn't even betaed. She said she had checked it, but I think my email account swallowed her email because I never got it back (it's not the first time my email account has eaten my emails… it's entirely possible that happened). My poor Beta… she's gone on break due to the amount of work from her school. My next few chapters will be unedited. They won't be as good, but it's either that or I don't update again until after January…

Anyway, I'm sorry AGAIN! I really am. I promise to update again sooner than I did this last time.

Until the next chapter,  
Addie


	6. First Assignment

I felt like sighing with relief when I heard Alden give the command that we were done. By that time I had Martin and Ben's fighting styles memorized, even if it was useless. I didn't really feel that I would ever need to fight them. Alden's control over me was complete, and if by some strange coincidence I did manage to gain the ability to tell myself what I wanted to do, then I wouldn't waste my time fighting—I'd run as fast as I could and get out of there. It wouldn't really matter then, either, because Alden could just start controlling me again sooner or later, but it would be nice to at least try to run home. Or to a pay-phone. That would work too. Then I could at least call my family and tell them what was happening before he had a chance to try to control me again.

But at any rate, I was happy that the boredom known as Alden making me fight was over. It wasn't until I heard the command to take me hunting that I remembered I preferred the fighting.

Martin and Ben both accompanied me this time. We walked out the door, into the dark alleyway, and towards the bad part of town. Martin told me a few things while we walked in an attempt to help me understand what was happening a little bit better. Apparently this part of town had murders every night anyway, and the police had stopped investigating a long time ago. It was heaven for vampires. If we fed no one would notice. This thought repulsed me. I had even less reason to resist the blood. I didn't want to drink it, don't get me wrong, but I could not resist no matter how hard I tried, and Alden didn't help. He knew I wouldn't be able to resist if he released control when I was near humans, and he wanted me to be stronger, so he wanted me to drink human blood. Ben explained that part to me. I felt like they were taking me under their wings and telling me these things behind Alden's back, but then I remembered my necklace. Alden could hear everything that was being said. They must have been telling me with his permission. Perhaps I hadn't found a friend in them after all.

When we arrived at the slums Alden released control and I was gone. Looking back at it, I was just as animalistic as before. I had no control, no sense of right or wrong. I killed two more people, but only completely drained the one. The other was beyond saving, but at least I realized what I was doing before I completely finished him off. I took that as a sign that I might have been getting a little bit better. I was able to stop sooner than before.

After I had finished feeding Alden took control of me again and we returned to the warehouse. When we arrived there was another vampire waiting for us, only this one was a female. She took one look at me and shook her head while making a tutting noise with her tongue.

"She's _such_ a mess," she announced after a moment. Her high voice hurt my ears, and her pink outfit injured my eyes. She was the very essence of girly. The only problem was that her red eyes didn't match her neon pink paint. That's right, the outfit was so tight that it would not have surprised me if it had been painted on. I was appalled. How was I supposed to survive a makeover by this creature? "Do you have a shower here that she could use? I'll have to get her hair wet anyway so I can curl it properly. Not to mention that it's insanely dusty here. No man is going to fall for a girl that looks like she's been working in an attic all day long. Really, Alden, don't you think about these things?"

"Apparently not," Alden responded sourly. "Can't you take her back to your place?"

The woman heaved a sigh and gave him a scathing look. "I wasn't planning on having to take her anywhere. She's a disgrace. She doesn't even know how to dress properly. I can tell she has no sense of fashion whatsoever. I don't want to go anywhere with her."

"I doubt she wants to go anywhere with you either," Martin muttered to himself. The woman still heard it.

"Just because you don't appreciate fashion doesn't mean the rest of us can't," she spat at him. "I'll thank you to keep your mouth shut!"

"And why would I do that?" Martin asked brazenly. "Just because Alden can give me commands doesn't mean I'll let you do it too."

"Uh, you are_soooooooo_ impossible!" she whined, and I would have winced if I could have. It sounded so much like a twelve year old that I had to wonder exactly how many years she had been alive. She looked like she was in her late twenties when she was changed, but I really couldn't tell.

"Back to Isabella," Alden said, trying to bring the conversation on track again, "Can you take her back to your place or not?"

"I suppose so," she sighed. She turned back to me and gave me an appraising look. "I guess I can take her out in public after she doesn't have any blood on her anymore. It's absolutely revolting."

"I can fix that," Alden said. He tossed me a shirt from a pile close-by and then made me catch it.

"Turn around," he instructed everyone. They all obeyed, the woman with a little bit of reluctance, and Alden made me change into the new shirt. He made me toss the old one back to him, and then he told everyone that they could turn around again.

* * *

We rode to the woman's house in her purple Volkswagen Beatle that smelled like a flower air freshener. The smell was possibly supposed to be lilacs, but I wasn't positive. My torturer didn't talk to me the entire way back to her apartment, choosing instead to glare daggers at in my general direction every time she thought I wasn't looking. Once we parked, we hurried up to her small apartment and she shoved me in the (very, very fluorescent orange) bathroom.

"Don't break anything," she commanded as she closed the door behind me. "Get clean, but if you get my bathroom dirty then I'll skin you alive."

I made no comment, which she seemed to accept as acknowledgement, and I heard her walk away from the door. Alden started by delicately removing my necklace and placing it on the counter with the pendant hanging off the edge towards the shower. After that the rest of my clothes came off and he made me get in the shower without closing the curtain.

He turned on the water, and I was glad to see that he turned it all the way to hot. I'd been feeling very cold (probably a byproduct of no longer being alive…) and the hot water, though not quite as warm as I would have liked it, felt nice.

The shower had been on full blast for approximately 5 seconds when the door burst open and the woman stood in front of me.

"Close the curtain!" she hissed. "You are getting water on the floor, and it's not a very civilized thing to do. Don't you know that you're supposed to close the curtain? Or have you never taken a shower before?" The way her nose wrinkled and she looked at me indicated that she thought it was the last option. I wanted to slap her, but couldn't. She glared at me for another second and then pulled the curtain closed.

Hesitantly, since Alden couldn't see me, he made me reach out to open it again. The woman looked outraged.

"What are you doing?!" she screeched. "I said to-"

"The curtain stays open, Margaret," Alden made me say. I was surprised at her name. She didn't seem like a Margaret.

She was obviously surprised too. Her eyes widened, her mouth hung open, and she seemed speechless.

"How did you know my name?" she finally managed to ask. "How did you figure it out? Are you a mind reader too?"

I blanched at the obvious reference to my family. How many people knew about them? My horror, however, did not get an opportunity to express itself. Instead, Alden made me roll my eyes in a very exasperated manner. "I'm controlling her, you idiot. I already told you that. I have to have a clear view of her or I have no idea what she's doing. Now move so I can see her."

"Oh," Margaret said, still essentially speechless, and moved away wordlessly. She threw a glance at me that I didn't understand and left the room, closing the door behind her.

I finished my shower and dried off before sticking my head out the door and calling, "She's done. Where do you want her and do you want me to make her get dressed or not?"

"Just come to my room wrapped in a towel," Margaret called from another room. Alden gathered my clothes and the necklace in my arms and made me walk across the apartment and into the room that I had heard Margaret's voice come from.

"Does she have to wear that stupid necklace?" she asked, her voice a little muffled because she was rummaging through her closet.

"Yes," Alden answered her through me. "That's the only way I can see and hear what's going on around her."

"But it's so ugly," she whined.

"She has to wear it, and she has to have something to put the transmitter box in too. Preferably a back pocket of some sort."

"Do you want her to look nice or not?" Margaret demanded, turning to face me.

"I have to be able to see her," Alden made me say. "She's seducing a human tonight, so she could show up in rags and still not have any issues. Just do your best."

"Fine," she said with an over exaggerated sigh as I panicked. I was going to have to seduce someone? No! I was married! That just wasn't right! What would happen if Alice saw?! Edward would be heartbroken. Well, either that or enraged. He might come try to find me. Perhaps that wouldn't be too bad, but since Alden was controlling me I wasn't sure how he would make me react to Edward, and I didn't want to find out.

"Put this on," Margaret commanded me, thrusting a wad of clothes at me. Alden accepted them after setting down the pile of clothes in my arms from the bathroom and made me put the new outfit on.

It was perfect for what Alden wanted, I think. It had a high collar in back and a plunging neckline in front. It was tight, but not tight enough that people would notice the thin wire running down my back. It was a lovely brown, which would undoubtedly blend very well with my hair. The brown pants were tight as well, and they complimented the brown on the top. There was a pocket in the back on the left side, and the necklace's transmitting battery pack went in that.

The next thing that was shoved in my general direction was a pair of colored contacts. I assumed that they were brown, and when I looked in the mirror I found that I was correct. They were a little uncomfortable, but they weren't too bad. I liked the brown better than the blood red, so I decided that I would deal with the discomfort.

After the contacts were in I was subjected to torture by make-up, a technique that I found unfair. I had all this natural (well as natural as a vampire can be…) beauty and here this thing was trying to cover it up with human products. But when I looked in the mirror again once she was done, I had to admit that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This lady, monster, thing, whatever title fit her best, she was fairly good at make-up. It honestly didn't look like I had any on, but I looked so much better than I did before. I approved.

Twenty minutes later, after some last minute tweaking, we were in the car again and on the way back to the warehouse.

"Turn here," Alden instructed through me.

"Why?" Margaret asked.

"You're dropping her off at the bar. Martin is meeting her there."

"How far away is it?" Margaret asked as she turned.

"A shorter distance than it is to the warehouse. I'm doing you a favor."

"That's fine," Margaret said absently. I understood her preoccupation. The sight ahead was certainly shocking.

A seemingly small building at first glance had enough lights in the windows and on the door that I was surprised an airplane didn't try to land there. The neon and strobe lights hurt my eyes. The music thumped loudly, causing windows to shake and me to want to turn away. We were still three blocks down, and already the level of noise, even in the car, was unbearable. Were humans really so deaf that they had to have the music this loud?

Regardless of my hesitation to go in, Margaret dropped me off two blocks down.

"Knock 'im dead, sweetie," she bade me in farewell as she pulled away, and then I was left alone.

Alden made me walk slowly towards the bar, which was really more like a club. There were people outside that were already making out. There were people just barely beyond the reach of the door that were standing in a large group and laughing as two people in the middle danced in a way that I didn't ever want to see again.

Inside wasn't much better. I mentally winced as I stepped inside, flashing my fake ID at the man by the door, and looked at what was there.

The deceivingly small looking building from the outside was far too big on the inside. Even with the space, however, the bodies were all crammed together, and it was impossible to navigate the room without bumping into someone every few seconds. The flashing lights continued, and the music was even louder once there weren't any walls to deaden the sound.

I wove my way through the crowd and towards the bar, bumping into people as I went. A few tried to catch my eye, but were unsuccessful. Alden wasn't looking for them.

All the bodies in the room, the blood pounding, high hormones, racing pulses, and smell from all these combined were driving me insane. I wanted so much to be able to let go and drain one of these creatures of the succulent liquid which kept them alive.

I caught myself thinking about the humans that way and silently scolded myself for allowing such thoughts to permeate my brain. I tried to wipe them all away, but they were in the back of my mind at all times.

I arrived at the bar and stood there, waiting for the bartender's attention.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his eyes traveling down my front before going back up to my face. "What would you like?"

"Have you seen Aaron?" Alden made me yell over the music. The bartender looked disappointed, but he tried very hard not to let it show as he gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Well, I saw him come in around 5 o'clock, but I haven't seen him for the past six hours. I'd check back there if you really want to find him," he suggested with a nod in the right direction. Alden made me give him a nod and then walk away.

Another trek through the bodies all pressed together and dancing, another struggle to keep my mind focused for my sake since it wasn't really necessary to get the job done, and I was across the room and walking down the slightly less crowded hallway that the bartender had pointed out.

My super hearing could tell exactly what was happening behind these doors. I was revolted once again. I sincerely hoped they sanitized these rooms every day… multiple times… burned them… This job was looking worse and worse.

A door opened as I passed and two people came out, an ecstatic looking female that looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties and a man that looked to be in his mid to late 40s.

"I'm so-" the man started to say to the girl, and then saw me.

"Alden," I heard him mutter under his breath. I knew this was the man I was looking for.

"Are you Aaron?" Alden made me inquire. As if Alden didn't already know. I mentally scoffed at the events happening.

"Jennifer," Aaron said, placing a hand on the small of her back, "I have some business to take care of. This lady is here to ask me a few questions on behalf of her employer, I believe, so let me deal with this and I'll be out in a little bit so we can leave."

"But-" Jennifer started to protest as she glanced murderously at me, but Aaron cut her off.

"It's fine, honey, I should have known that her boss would want his money back eventually. Let me talk to her in here since it is just a little bit quieter, and then I'll be out. I promise." He leaned down to give her a kiss and smiled reassuringly once they had pulled away. "Ten minutes."

"Fine," she said dejectedly, giving him one last parting glace before starting to walk away. She bumped into me as she passed, trying to knock me over, but ended up hurting her shoulder instead. I laughed internally as she took it in silence so she wouldn't look weak in front of Aaron.

"Come on in, then, I suppose," Aaron said resignedly as he stepped back into the room and held the door open for me to enter. Alden made me sweep past him and walk to the center of the very small room before turning to look at him.

"You know what I'm here for," Alden said through me. "Where is it?"

"I don't have it with me," Aaron scoffed. "That would be a stupid move. Yeah, let's go get drunk and have sex and have thousands of dollars in my billfold so that anyone can try to steal it."

"Then when will you have it to me?" Alden asked.

"I'd rather give it to your boss if you don't mind," Aaron said sourly.

"Fine," I said shortly. "When will you have it in his bank account then? It had best be within the next 24 hours or you will regret the consequences."

"I'll have it there first thing in the morning, once I wake up," Aaron promised.

"So you really mean first thing in the afternoon?" Alden asked sarcastically.

Aaron grinned. "You could say that."

"Just get it there as soon as you can," Alden said as he made me roll my eyes.

"I will," Aaron promised. He looked me over, lust in his eyes. "Now that business is over, can I do anything else for you?" He took a step forward, which in this small room put him about six inches away from me.

For once, the words coming from my mouth and the words I was thinking were almost identical. "Go back to Jennifer and keep your promise to her. I'm not interested."

"I figured as much," Aaron said, disappointment staining his voice. "I'll have the money to your father by tomorrow."

"Pardon?" Alden asked.

"Isn't Alden your father?" Aaron asked. "You're much more attractive than he is, but you look amazingly similar to him."

Outwardly I was forced to laugh while inside I was shuddering. "No, he's not my father. But he will be counting on you getting that money to him. As will I. I don't get paid until the job is done, and if the job isn't done by tomorrow, then you won't like the result." A nice tight squeeze on his shoulder to demonstrate my strength, a little shove backwards onto the bed, a smirk as I swept out of the room, and I was free. Alden made me take my time leaving, but as soon as I was out the door and out of the light I was running.

I didn't run very far. Alden made me turn down a short alley and walk over to Martin, who was waiting at the other end.

"No money?" Martin asked.

"He's putting it in the bank account tomorrow," Alden answered. "Why don't you go pick up those cameras now? Isabella can come back to the warehouse on her own."

"Fine," Martin answered. "I'll be back later."

And with that we were both running again, only this time I knew that my job was really done.

* * *

A/N: I'm sooooo sorry. Once again, I know this took forever. My semester is almost over, and then I have a 3 week break. I plan to get a lot of writing done in that time, and then I have several chapters typed up already that are in the middle of the story. Hopefully I will have the next chapters up a lot sooner. Please forgive me guys.

Thanks to Mikki for reminding me to update. This chapter is dedicated to her.

Sorry again.

Addie


	7. Preparing for deletion: Author's Note

My Dear Readers,

Firstly, allow me to apologize for my extended absence. I have been busy with life and with school and I have had little time to write. Secondly, I have not had the motivation to write. This story no longer appeals to me. It is very, very hard to write when you do not like what you are writing. A review from lisadianemill helped me realize that I am not the only one who does not like this story. It is boring, repetitive, and not a sample of my best writing. Therefore, I am going to scrap this story and start over again, start fresh. I hope you will read it. It will be basically the same idea as this story, only different. I may not post it soon because I want to write the majority of it before I release it for the general public to see. This will allow me to change it whenever I wish and not have to work around ideas I thought were good and then change my mind about later.

Long story short, this story will be deleted soon and I will repost it in new glory (I hope). It is not fair to you for me to give you sub-par stories to read, particularly if it means that I take forever to update. I hope you all decide to read the new story, though with my extended absence and the quality of my writing as of late, I will not blame you for not wanting to read it.

Please forgive me. I will attempt to update more regularly once I post the new story and I will only post chapters (and stories) that are worthy of your time.

Thank you for your patience and for continuing to support me,  
Addie W.


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